New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-04
AMERICAN NAMES.

BlsDOp CONc UIlSIS IL lOuu IfOtCoU L hc
Forum against the prosaic, trivial and often
hideous names frequently bestowed in this
country upon cities. towns, lakes, mountains
and rivers, everything, in fact, which men
have the chance TO blight with inWdiclous
nomenclature. The Bishop is especially grieyed
by that extraordinary popperlng of classical
names which always surprises the traveller
making his first journey through Western and
Genital New York. and which gives THAI
smiling region the appearance OF having
suffered ut some early period in It's history
from an ver-immigration of ancient Greeks
end Romans But classical names are, at
least. respectable. and old Simeon De Witt-to
whose memory Bishop Coke is so mcrciul
that he does not even mention his name
might have done far worse than he did.
When he found himself as Surveyor-General
confronted with the task of supplying names
for vast tract of new country, he could
think of no better source of help than the
school books, and so he showered the land
with the names of Greek poets Roman gen
erals. Attic cities and Latin philosophers. 1t
would have been vastly better if he could have
utilized the melodions and significant Indian
names that still linger there. and especially III
connection with the lakes, but classical names
ale dignifcd, at the worst, and are neither
vulgar nor silly as too many Of our gc0graph-
ical names are.
"Pompey7 is absurd, but IL is better than
Paradox" which adorns settlement in
Essex County. There is "Virgil,7 too, which
is less comical than " Venice or = crmilion,'
or e Ncsta7 all in this State. Why Ovid
"I1ysscsr and Homer 2 Very true. But
why 4" Oppcnheim,7 Utopia and Higgins
Vile all of which arc to be found in New
York The Bishops paper is sermon cal
cuatcd especially for the latitude OF THIS
State. in the hope that efforts may be made
20 return. rs opportunity offers, TO the Use
Of Indian and other appropriate and pleasing
names. and to discard many of those now in
use. But TO have seen American nomenclature
nourishins in all its native beauty, unt'am
mccd by considerations of taste or cuphony,
he ought to have gone to the Far West,
where the miner, the cowboy and the gambler
have been sponsors for n new country Many
Of these names arc so irrWerent, if not profane.
that distinguished clergyman has recently
urotcstcd against their use on the ground OF
their bad influence upon the young. These
names ingcr about mining camps and objects
Of natural scenery and are not often approved,
probably. by the ccnsors Of the PoSt-oilice De
partmcnt as the names Of post-oliiccS which may
one day be large centres OF population. But
oven among the names that have passed under
the scrutiny OF the Government, and been |
formally adopted. one can find, on random
look Of few seconds, such mildcr forms as
these: Anaconda "Vulturc,r Ubct, |
e. Devils Lake. Tombstone Big Flat"
:. shank Muddy " TmIy,' Useless,
a. Novelty jig Earbor,- Deception Med
ical Lake "Spanglcs, Centennial "Chug |
Water
The sole trouble is not the lack OF artistic
sense among the people, though that Is lar
from being developed a it Will be hereafter |
One great difficulty is that the country grows
too fast for It's clothcS-or its names. BE-
tween 5000 and 1000 new post-oiliccs are |
every year. Where find approprl-
a,o and pleasing names for them? Are post
Office clerks pocts-on twelve hundred year?
Would Congress appropriate money for
Bureau Of Nomenclature Where is the poet
that would guarantee to furnish dozen good
names every day the year round-all different
Cndcr these cr umstanccS what does the clerk
do He adopt, the name which has grown
no in the ncighborhood, and, in fact cannot
very well do otherwise II the combined imbccii-
ity of the community calls itself iiot,
Centre the post-ollce can hardly be denom-
mated "LOveIs' Retreat In founding new
Offices in the Far West, the clerk often names
them. as a delicate compliment, after tho
postmastcr-C General. There were twenty odd
. IIattons' at one time When everything
,lse fails he calls il "Washing tOn.'